Vivek Kaushal,
CEO,
Global Jet Capital

Ever since Global Jet Capital acquired GE Capital’s business aviation financing portfolio in 2015, Vivek Kaushal has been instrumental in the growth of the business, becoming CEO in 2021 and leading the company to a spot on the Monitor 100 for the first time this year, with Global Jet Capital entering the ranking at No. 42.

Although Kaushal is currently focused on a specific asset class (business aviation), his 30-year career in the corporate world has included a much larger scope. A long-time GE Capital veteran before coming over to Global Jet Capital, Kaushal helped established GE Capital’s equipment finance business in India at the beginning of his career before moving on to hold roles in fleet services, corporate aviation finance, and lending and leasing.

As someone who has led many different business lines during his career, Kaushal believes that the key to measuring business success isn’t necessarily found on a spreadsheet. He says that his top priorities for Global Jet Capital are to provide differentiated and creative solutions to clients while growing and retaining a team of highly motivated problem-solvers.

“We want to be a business that consistently differentiates to win and where our success gives us the ability to keep investing back into the business to create new capabilities, products and services,” Kaushal says.

To aid his team in pursuing such goals, Kaushal takes an active and empowering approach to leadership. He says that the “command and control” style of the past is ineffective in today’s environment, arguing that successful leaders cannot afford to be at a distance from their market.

“Leaders must drive the strategy and also be familiar with the strategic detail,” Kaushal says. “But you have to do it in a way that puts 100% of your trust in your people.”

Kaushal practices what he preaches and is acutely aware of some of the most disruptive forces in the equipment finance industry today. Kaushal says the effects of banking failures earlier this year have been “generally insignificant” but that there has been a dampening in credit in the current high-rate environment. Meanwhile, while he is bullish on the potential for artificial intelligence to improve processes, he still believes that true insight and innovation will always be human-driven.

“We have to be good listeners, driven by operational excellence, and have the courage to do the right thing for our clients and partners each day.”